Don’t Plant A Weed! AlterNatives for landscaping in the Florida Keys GreenThumb Certified A guide to help Nurseries and their customers choose beautiful, Keys-friendly landscaping Plant Substitution Guide for the Florida Keys Plant Substitution Guide for Explore your AlterNatives A Plant Substitution Guide for the Florida Keys Peruse a Florida gardening book published before 1980, and you will find plenty of familiar plant species. Unfortunately, many of them are invasive exotic species that now are widespread in Florida’s roadsides and natural areas. Some plant recommendations from the past — melaleuca, schefflera and Australian pine, for example — are no longer considered environmentally sound. Keeping these plants off your private property can eliminate a major source of invasion, either by seeds or vegetative spread, into natural areas. There are invasive plants for sale that may serve an aesthetic function in the landscape – who can deny the shade provided by a Seaside Mahoe or the colors of an Oyster plant? Substitution of these plants may seem like a sacrifice for the homeowner, but it can be a short- term problem with long-term benefits to Florida’s natural areas. How do you convince a customer that their landscaping choice needs revision? The first step is to consider the value of the plant in the landscape. What does it do in a landscape? Does it provide shade or privacy? Does it help prevent erosion? Does the fruit stain the drive- way? Does it require lots of weeding/pruning/fertilizing/watering? Is it really that valuable? The following guide offers suitable substitutes that closely resemble some invasive plants commonly used in landscapes. In choosing plant substitutes, consider height, growth rate, hardiness, salt tolerance, foliage texture, flowering characteristics, and light and nutritional requirements. Please check with your local government and/or homeowner association for specific tree removal regulations. Many require permits or permission to remove or alter vegetation in your landscape. Forward by Amy Ferriter, Provided by South Florida Water Management District 2 What is an Invasive Exotic? Invasive exotic plants come in several categories, depending on how aggressively they invade our natural areas. The following definitions were adopted by the Florida Keys Invasive Exotic Task Force, which consists of all public and private land managers in the Keys. There are cur- rently 62 exotic species classified as invasive in the Florida Keys. These invasive plants rankings are evaluated and updated by the Task Force every two years. Category 1: Invasive exotics that are altering Florida Keys native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives. Category 1 plants are the most aggressive invaders. Their spread has been likened to a “green cancer” in our natural areas. Five species are still available for sale in nurseries today. Category 2: Invasive exotics that have increased in abundance or frequency, but have not yet altered Florida Keys plant communities to the extent shown by Category 1 species. Category 2 plants tend to be unruly yard plants and often end up dumped over the fence. Many Category 2 plants are available in nurseries. Category 3: “To be watched” invasive exotics that have not yet become a problem in the Florida Keys, but are problematic in other areas of the mainland or Caribbean. What is an AlterNative? An AlterNative is a native plant that resembles an invasive plant in size, shape or function. AlterNatives are approved substitutions for Keys in- vasives that, if followed, will reduce seed sources in our natural areas, increase habitat on our islands and reduce nutrients in our waters. For the homeowner, use of AlterNatives will reduce fertilizing costs, watering time and overall gardening hassles for homeowners. 3 Supporters The following entities stand behind the GreenThumb certified program: How to Read this Guide Some of the descriptions in this book can be interpreted in a variety of ways so the following are the working definitions of this guide: Poor soil —The plant can live in rocky or sandy soils without organic material. Moderately nutritious — The plant can grow in rocky, sandy, limestone or alkaline soils but needs some organic/humus material to thrive. Rich soils — The plant must have organic material to thrive. Moderate salt tolerance — The plant can tolerate some salt, but does not necessarily do well in a flood. If the plant is ever inundated with salt water, thoroughly rinse it with fresh water as soon as possible. High salt tolerance — The plant lives in/very close to salt water and can tolerate being flooded with salt water either occasionally or all the time. Drought tolerant — The plant does not need additional water once it is established. Moderate drought tolerance — The plant generally needs moist soils, but can survive short peri- ods without water. Low drought tolerance — The plant needs moist soil to thrive and/or survive. FDOT 4 Table of Contents Trees Shrubs Groundcovers Category 1 Category 1 Category 1 (None) Australian Pine (Casuarina spp)................................................... 6 Asiatic Colubrina/Latherleaf (Colubrina asiatica) ......................... 64 Brazilian Pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) .................................. 8 Beach Naupaka (Scaevola sericea & S. taccada) ........................... 66 Category 2 Laurel Fig (Ficus microcarpa)...................................................... 10 Asian Sword Fern (Nephrolepis multiflora).............................. 100 Lead Tree (Leucaena leucocephala)............................................. 12 Category 2 Asparagus Fern (Asparagus densiflorus) .................................. 102 Melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia) ......................................... 14 Central American Sisal (Furcraea cabuya) .................................... 68 Bowstring Hemp (Sansevieria hyacinthoides) .......................... 104 Queensland Umbrella Tree (Schefflera actinophylla)................... 16 Night-Blooming Cereus (Hylocereus undatus)............................... 70 Nettle-Leaf Porterweed (Stachytarpheta urticifolia)................. 106 Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) ....................................................... 18 Sisal Hemp (Agave sisalana).......................................................... 68 Ganges Primrose (Asystasia gangetica) .................................... 108 Seaside Mahoe (Thespesia populnea)........................................... 20 Lantana/Shrub Verbena (Lantana camara)............................... 110 Category 3 Life Plant (Kalanchoe spp.)....................................................... 112 Category 2 Governor's Plum (Flacourtia indica).............................................. 72 Oyster Plant (Tradescantia spathacea) ..................................... 114 Carrotwood (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) .................................... 22 Kopsia (Ochrosia parviflora) ......................................................... 74 Puncture Weed (Tribulus cistoides) ......................................... 116 Earleaf Acacia (Acacia auriculiformis) ........................................ 24 Orange-Jessamine (Murraya paniculata) ...................................... 76 Wedelia (Sphagneticola trilobata) ............................................ 120 Common/Strawberry Guava (Psidium guajava/lP. cattleianum).. 26 Shoebutton Ardisia (Ardisia elliptica) ........................................... 78 Sea Hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus).................................................. 20 Bracelet Wood (Jacquinia armillaris) ........................................... 80 Category 3 Sickle Bush/Marabou (Dichrostachys cinera).............................. 28 Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)......................... 122 Tropical Almond (Terminalia catappa)........................................ 30 *African Fire Bush (Hamelia patens variety glabra) ..................... 82 Wandering Jew (Tradescantia spp.) ......................................... 114 Woman’s Tongue (Albizia lebbeck).............................................. 32 *Texas Necklace Pod (Sophora tomentosa variety occidentalis) ... 84 Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) ............................................... 124 Yellow Elder (Tecoma stans)........................................................ 34 Jumbie Bean (Macroptilium artopurpureum) ........................... 118 Phasey Bean (Macroptilium lathyroides).................................. 118 Category 3 Grasses Yellow Alder (Turnera ulmifolia) ............................................. 126 Black Olive (Bucida bucera) ....................................................... 36 Spiny/Dwarf Black Olive (Bucida spinosa).................................. 38 Category 1 Chinaberry (Melia azedarach)...................................................... 40 Burma Reed (Neyraudia reynaudiana)........................................... 86 Vines Senegal Date Palm (Phoenix reclinata) ........................................ 42 False Banyan (Ficus altissima)..................................................... 44 Category 2 Category 1 (None) Orchid Tree (Bauhinia variegata) ................................................ 46 Green Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setacea) .................................. 88 Papaya (Carica papaya) ............................................................... 48 Guinea Grass (Panicum maximum) ...............................................